


Much to do

by KABN



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Existential stroke, F/M, I just wanted to contribute to the fandom... did so questionably, Sappy stuff, mortality discussion
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-09
Updated: 2020-08-09
Packaged: 2021-03-06 08:00:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,451
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25800106
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KABN/pseuds/KABN
Summary: It's overwhelming, the vastness of time and space.  But we have each other, and maybe that's more than enough to compare.
Relationships: Entrapta/Hordak (She-Ra)
Comments: 9
Kudos: 45





	Much to do

The Princess of Dryll, in her enthusiasm and desire to learn, rarely if ever felt overwhelmed. At least, not while working on a project in her lab. People could be too much, society too confusing, but research and experiments? Those were where she was the most at home.

Or at least, she was supposed to be.

“Waaah! Just. So. Many. PLANETS! And that’s just counting the still inhabited ones!” Her eyes were wide as she scrolled through the index recovered from Prime’s database. “And I barely scratched the surface of just one planet in my total lifetime… does that mean I can only gather data on two more before I run out of time?”

It wasn’t like her to contemplate her mortality -a fact proven by the countless explosions and electrocutions that resulted from her work-, and she never had the arrogance to believe she would  _ ever  _ get to work on every single mystery in existence, but…

“Hordak, you have experience with the sheer vastness of the universe, what am I supposed to do?” She sought answers from her lab partner. He too, was browsing through the planetary index, but for more immediate reasons. That being picking and choosing from several different legal systems to draft a proposed constitution for Scorpia’s re-established kingdom. A copy of the draft would also be used to re-work the government of Dryll.

Laws were usually built up from trial and error, but why continue with that method when there was so much experience out there to draw upon. Learning from history was perhaps the basis of science.

“Hmm.” Hordak grunted as he copied over one last article and questioningly met her eyes over from his desk. It sounded stoic, but it was clear from his stiff posture that the topic left him disturbed. “Even Prime failed to stop the aging process of his vessels and clones. But maybe he found pleasure in their inevitable degradation, and left the aging process as a ‘feature’. So there might be hope for achieving indefinite longevity by researching genetics.”

“Or we could replicate his mind-transference process?” The Princess suggested, even if taking such direct inspiration from what once erased her partner left a bitter taste in her mouth.

“I tried. When my own clones failed, I attempted to leave my crumbling body by swapping my mind with any sufficient Etherian instead.” The former Lord frowned, clearly not proud of the hazy memories of desperation. “And it is my belief that the process was only possible for Prime due to his nature as a divine being- or, um, a spiritual parasite.”

“So? It’s possible to combine magic, technology, and biology. We are on the very planet where the First Ones accomplished doing so regularly! And-”

“Entrapta.”

She halted at the sound of her name. The way Hordak said it… maybe she had gotten way too used to her name usually being pointedly spat with frustration and condescension, but the softness and loving reverence in  _ his  _ tone always caught her off guard and left her flustered. Just for a moment, she felt at ease, like the abyss of time was something surmountable.

“What is this about, really? You never had trouble before with leaving the legacy of your work to descendants and other curious minds.” He almost choked, and she could tell it wasn’t due to any respiratory issues. 

_ Stupid, toughtless, stupid… _ She admonished herself. In her attempt to find some measure of comfort, she had instead spread her unease.

“It’s just…” She bit her lips and repeatedly fidgeted with her knuckles, trying to center herself and find her words. “I used to imagine the future as this thing of infinite creative potential that I would be happy to help pave the way to. But now… I actually want to be there instead!”

“Oh?” He grunted out the hesitant question, the familiar crimson of his eyes fully focused on her with warm concern. “You didn’t want to before?”

“Yes! No! Well, I want to be there with  _ you _ when the future arrives, I want to have maybe a forever to spend with you. Working, inventing, building-” She hesitated with childish embarrassment. “...just being. But, everyone who has ever loved must have felt that way, it’s nothing new, so why I am I in such a t-tizzy over this? Hordak, what is  _ wrong  _ with me!?”

She swirled her chair away, curling up on herself and then wrapping her hair around her like a cocoon. She could see the midnight blue streaks in her hair even as it blocked the light, same color as Hordak’s mane, she had dyed it along with him on a whim. Even here, in her little bubble, there was something she desperately wanted to keep forever.

Distantly, she could hear the distinct approaching taps of a cane, and moments later, a clawed hand gently dug through her cocoon of hair, wordlessly offering itself to her. And wordlessly, she took it, idly going over each claw, each finger, and each joint as well as the subtle cybernetics underneath; even taking off one of her gloves to get a better feel for them.

It used to fascinate her as a child, and it still sometimes did, her own hands. The way bone and sinew were so intricately woven into each other to build up a functioning whole, the way the skin slowly but surely healed when it was damaged, the subtle sound of joints cracking with inertia when she moved them just right, easing her nerves…

Her best friend’s and love’s hands were much larger, it felt almost nostalgic, figuring out and marveling at the way it all came together all over again.

Slowly, the Princess undid the veil of her, not letting go of the appendage as she kept studying it, her dearest remaining knelt by her side patiently.

“Don’t fear the future for my sake, your highness.” She snorted at the moniker in a manner quite unbecoming of it. Her royal status tended to be a burden… but not when  _ he _ said it. “If it is immortality you want, we WILL conquer death, and if that fails, we WILL conquer time itself. A living monster of a god couldn’t stand between us, couldn’t break your spirit, and neither will mere primordial forces!”

“It’s alright, the limited nature of life is what gives it worth, what makes us, us. Prime couldn’t see that, no matter how long he lived, or maybe because of how long he lived. Losing parts of himself over time, bit by bit.” She sighed, hopping off her chair and gently taking her partner’s fist -still raised in dramatic defiance- into her hands, one gloved one bare. All three mismatched, imperfect, and beautiful. “I see now. I’m just too happy, there is still so much for us to do together! It feels too good, too perfect to be real! And I get afraid that all this potential, all these promises, are just a dream.”

“Just like you.” Hordak added, in an awed whisper. “And you are also brave and strong. And for you, I will also try to be as such, to keep standing by your side.” 

And then, their ambitious plans for friendship love triumphs were interrupted by a buzzing from the intercom. 

“Ah, lemme get that!”

They had visitors. They were scheduled of course, but schedules were Hordak’s area, so she was pleasantly surprised to see Scorpia’s ex-Horde friends. The three that ended up as Imp’s adopted custodians.

They still had unused missing posters for the little spy in the storage somewhere, fun times.

“Hello!” She greeted over the intercom, startling the… Lonnie on the other side of the screen. 

“They are here to deliver the parts from the deconstructed Horde Spire from the Scorpion Kingdom.” Hordak supplied, purposefully staying out of view as he was unsure how his former subordinates felt about him.

_ “Yeah, and we also figured that we should let you know that the Spire at Salineas fell over and stuff is spilling out of it… it wasn’t Kyle’s fault for once, the sea did it.” _

Hordak grunted thoughtfully, they had been meaning to dismantle the Salineas Spire before something like that could happen, but maybe they had been putting that off for too long… the Sea Kingdom wasn’t exactly welcoming towards them, understandably.

“The pollution will be a problem, we could-”

“Oh, I know! Repurpose the purifiers we used at Beast Island!”

  
  


Even on this one planet, they had so much to do together, and they couldn’t want for more.

  
  


As they kept discussing potential courses of action, Lonnie shrugged, apparently forgotten. Imp had already scampered off, the little monster would remind the busy pair of their guests soon enough.

  
  



End file.
